Daylight
by clarksonwriter17
Summary: They'd travel until the sun rose as clichéd as it sounds. Neither one of them are prepared for what they knew was bound to be the inevitable. Could be AU. Established Auslly. Based off the song Daylight by Maroon 5.


_And when the daylight comes I'll have to go_

_But tonight I'm gonna hold you so close_

_Cause in the daylight we'll be on our own_

_But tonight I need to hold you so close_

* * *

He waits outside Ally's house blasting the air conditioner in his grandfather's truck to alleviate the humid summer air. He runs his hands through his hair and checks his watch. _'Come on Ally.'_ He thinks. _'I want to spend as much time as I can with you.'_ He goes to reach for his phone when he sees her front door open, light spilling out onto her yard.

She walks out the door, her neon colored tank top illuminating in the moonlight. She jogs to the car and climbs in, using the back of her hand to swipe at her eyes as she does.

She turns towards him, her cheeks tear stained. He gathers her into his arms where she lets out a small sob before pulling back, a sad smile on her face.

He wipes away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb, cupping her cheek for a second before leaning forward and capturing her lips with his.

Ally's the first to pull away _(as usual)_, and gives him a radiant smile.

"C'mon lover boy." She teases, kissing him on the cheek. "What's your big plan?"

"We are going to drive until the daylight." He says as he puts the truck into drive, pulling away from her house. Ally grabs his hand that rests idly on his leg and interlinks their fingers.

"I knew that this was inevitable." She starts, rubbing her thumb absentmindedly against the back of his hand. "I just didn't think it would come this fast." Austin sighs and squeezes her hand.

"Same here Als." He takes a left. "Same here."

They drive through the suburbs of Miami and before Ally knows it, they're driving on dirt roads somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

"Austin where are we?" She quietly asks as he pulls to a stop on the top of a hill.

"Just trust me Als." He says as he climbs out of the truck. Ally hesitantly climbs out after him and he hears her sharp intake of breath from the other side of the truck.

"Austin." She breathes out. "How did you find this place?" He holds his arms out and Ally feels like the world is about to swallow her boyfriend whole.

"Beautiful isn't it?" He questions as he drops his arms and climbs into the bed of the truck.

"My mom always brought me here when I was little. Especially during the summer because of the fireflies." Ally hasn't moved since she got out of the truck and Austin looks up at her.

She stares awestruck at the beautiful landscape in front of her, the stars the brightest Ally has ever seen, with fireflies flying idly around them.

"It's not gonna disappear if you move Als." He says as he jumps over the side of the truck. He grabs Ally's hand and pulls her to the tailgate, where he hops up before leaning down to help Ally up.

He sits down on the fleece blanket that covers the bed of the truck and Ally follows suit. He leans back against the pillows he brought and Ally leans her head into his chest, tangling their legs together.

They stare at the stars in silence for ten minutes before Ally lets out a content sigh.

"Can we just stay here forever?" She asks. The question itself is an innocent one but once the reality of the situation sinks in, the silence that always seems to surround them when this subject comes up does as well.

Austin takes a shaky breath and tightens his arm around her.

"Whatever you want tonight Als. Whatever you want." They sit in a content silence before Ally starts to point out constellation she knows.

He doesn't know how long she does it, _(Austin has never been good at sensing how much time has passed, especially when he's with Ally) _but all too soon her arm starts to tiredly point upward and her words start to slur together.

She falls asleep not five minutes later and Austin just stares at her, trying to remember every little detail about her.

He's counting how many freckles are speckled throughout the parts of her body he can see in the moonlight,_ (he's up to forty seven at the moment and a majority of those forty seven are on her shoulders)_ when she starts to stir.

She stretches and tucks her head back into Austin's chest.

"How long was I sleeping?" She asks as she yawns. He shrugs.

"Good question." He answers, kissing the top of his head. Ally tilts her head up towards him and he kisses her.

This time he's the one to pull away and Ally frowns at the loss of his lips.

"Let's go for another drive." He says as he sits up, pulling Ally up with him. He scoops her up in his arms bridal style and slides off the tailgate.

She leans into his chest as he pulls her closer, looking over at the east where he knows the dreaded sun will rise in a few hours. Ally looks up and notices where his gaze falls so she lightly grabs his chin and turns his face towards her.

"We're not gonna think about that now." She says softly. Austin nods and opens the truck door one handed before sliding Ally onto the bench seat, following after her.

He starts the truck and drives back towards Miami while Ally leans tiredly into his shoulder.

Usually he's the one who is fighting to stay awake while Ally acts like she's just starting the day, but why expect something normal on a day _(well night)_ like tonight.

He glances down at her every now and then and Ally wraps her arm around his torso. Her pale skin skin is bright in the moonlight and her ombre hair shines. He thinks that she looks beautiful _(not that she ever looks anything but)_ and presses a kiss to the top of her head.

A few minutes later they pull up to a beach where Austin turns up the radio before grabbing Ally's hand and pulling her onto the sand. She slides off her shoes and Austin follows suit before they step onto the cool sand.

A Maroon 5 song comes on and Austin starts dancing with her, sliding in the sand, and they laugh as the moon illuminates the abandoned beach.

They fall backwards onto the sand laughing and Austin pulls Ally close to him.

The stars are slightly fading and Austin can see the faint pinks and oranges that light the sky with the sunrise.

"I wish somebody would slow this down because this is just too hard." Austin says whimsically to Ally. She nods into his chest.

"I just wish I could come with you." She whispers, looking up into his eyes. Austin plants a light kiss on her forehead.

"Me too Als. A year without you..." He shakes his head. "I already know I'm not gonna be able to make it." She buries her head into his chest.

"Same." She says so quietly that Austin isn't sure she spoke.

"Why did he have to make your flight first thing in the morning?" Ally asked. Austin shrugged.

"Because it's Jimmy and he seems to like to make my life miserable." He pouted. Ally lightly hit him.

"You're only upset because Jimmy said I couldn't come." Austin rolled his eyes.

"Obviously Ally." There's a slightly awkward and tense silence and then Austin sighs.

"In a matter of hours this night is just gonna be a memory." He paused. "And I don't like it."

"Well neither do I but I guess we'll just have to take what we can get now won't we?" She snuggles into his chest and Austin squeezes her waist.

"Yeah. I guess." He kisses the top of her head and turns his gaze back towards the stars.

They lay in a content silence for maybe forty five minutes or so before Austin thinks out loud.

"I used to be scared of the dark but now it's all that I want." He says as Ally turns to look at him. "Because I just can't afford to lose you." Ally kisses him and then pulls away.

"Then don't." She whispers. "Just because you're leaving for a year doesn't mean that we can't still date."

"But you always said you would never do long distance." He reminds her. Ally shrugs.

"Yeah but you're worth it." She snuggles into his chest and yawns, her eyes closing. Her breathing slows and Austin can feel his eyes drooping as well.

He lays on the sand for a little bit longer before the faint pinks and oranges become brighter, the stars fading.

He lets out a sad sigh before standing up, bringing Ally up with him.

She stirs slightly in his arms before falling back asleep. Austin carries her to the truck, climbing in setting Ally against his body.

They drive back to Miami in silence, Ally occasionally sighing happily while she sleeps. Austin glances at the rising sun and sighs sadly as he pulls into her driveway.

He carefully lifts her out of the truck as her parents open the front door. He walks up the walkway to the door where Mr. and Mrs. Dawson part so he can make his way to the staircase.

He carries her up the stairs, her parents watching him sadly as he does so, and lightly nudges her bedroom door open with his foot.

He walks in and lays her gently in her bed, her arms still wrapped tightly around his neck. He goes to stand up when Ally pulls him back towards him.

"Don't go yet." She whispers. He leans forward and lightly kisses her.

"I have to Ally." He says, his voice braking.

"But-"

"We've talked about this Als." He lightly peels her arms off of him, setting them gently on top of her. "We're gonna do long distance and we're gonna be fine alright?" He says, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"We're gonna be just fine." He repeats against her forehead. Ally tiredly sighs.

"I love you." She whispers as she finally succumbs to sleep.

"I love you too." He says, kissing her forehead one last time before walking to her door. He turns around at the door, leaning against the frame.

Her hair is spread across her pillow, shining in the faint sunlight, and her lips are slightly parted. He sees something shine as it slides down her cheek and he realizes that she's crying as she sleeps.

He feels a tear fall down his own cheek and he shuts the door. He leans his head briefly against the door before taking a deep breath and heading back down the stairs.

Her mom waits at the bottom of the stairs where she gathers him into a hug.

"Thank you." She whispers into his ear. "You have no idea how much this night will mean to her." Austin nods and pulls away, the tears flowing freely.

"Yeah I do." Her mom gives him a sad knowing smile before pulling him into one last hug.

Austin pulls away and Mr. Dawson stands in front of the door. He holds out his hand for a handshake and then pulls Austin in for a hug.

"You better not do anything that'll hurt my little girl while you're gone." Austin pulls back and opens the door.

"Couldn't think of it sir." He waves goodbye to her parents and walks to his truck. He glances up at her window expecting to see it dark but instead sees Ally staring down at him sadly.

She waves to him and Austin waves back before climbing into his truck and backing out of her driveway.

She watches him drive away until the rising sun swallows his truck and she sighs before climbing back into bed.

_365 days left._


End file.
